YOU'D think, after the cataclysmic impact The Osbournes had on teens Jack and Kelly, that rock star dads would think twice about putting their kids in the same position.

YOU'D think, after the cataclysmic impact The Osbournes had on teens Jack and Kelly, that rock star dads would think twice about putting their kids in the same position.

But then Kiss bass player Gene Simmons has never let anything or anyone stand in the way of him doing whatever the hell he wants, whenever the hell he wants - such as taking on a key role in new video game Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock at the age of 61.

It's perhaps this disregard for convention or consequence which has made him famous, an icon and a multi-millionaire.

Simmons is clearly an astute businessman. Talking to him is like talking to a company CEO rather than a rock star who goes on stage clad in armour, wearing towering platforms heels, his face covered in make-up and his famed tongue waggling menacingly.

As well as his love of performing, his hard work ethic and his hatred of acts who cheat fans, Simmons talks of marketing, brand exposure and new lines of Kiss merchandise, from flat-screen TVs to motorcycles.

And a key part of that is his reality telly hit, Gene Simmons: Family Jewels, which goes behind the scenes at his palatial home, showing everyday life for his long-term girlfriend Shannon Tweed and their kids.

For Gene, though, there is absolutely no danger of Nicholas and Sophie getting involved in drink, drugs or anything their dad would disapprove of - because they're too damned scared of him.

Speaking exclusively to The Brief, Gene said: "I don't care about over-exposure. Do things you care to do and to hell with the details.

"My kids are both wonderful human beings. Nicholas is 21, Sophie is 18, they are both straight-A students, charming, well-behaved - because they are not allowed not to be. It is as simple as that.

"They are not allowed to go off the rails.

"If I catch them getting drunk once, if they don't tell me they are going to do it, they are going to find their Beverly Hills butts in the middle of a work camp in the desert.

"It is not 'old school', it is 'now school', the same rules. The phrase 'wait until your father gets home' is good. Parents should never act like a friend to their children.

"I am not their friend, I am their parent and they are going to do as I say. There is no running to their room and slamming the door. That's my room. That's my door. Even the poop they poop out is the food I bought them. The air they breathe is my air.

"They're allowed to rebel once I kick them out of the house and they earn their own living."

Scared? Us too. Still, being the child of a rock god has got to have its upsides, too.

For one, he's not likely to tell you to turn your music down. In fact, there's a better chance you'll get to help test the latest ludicrous fiery stage prop dear old dad has come up with for the next concert.

Kiss, after all, are not a band known for their subtlety. And that is perhaps what Simmons is most proud of. Well, that and the money they have made.

At his age, the rigours of touring and performance in any band would be a burden, let alone with the legendary Kiss stage show.

He said: "Right now we've been touring for two and a half years. The hardest touring band in rock and roll history has been, and continues to be, Kiss.

"If you are Keith Richards, bless you, but you can be in your T-shirt and sneakers and barely move on stage. Jagger, yes, but the rest of the band basically stand still.

"Imagine doing the show covered in armour and eight-inch platform heels, covered by three layers of clothing, about 35 to 40 pounds of extra weight.

"The Marines and the SAS and those guys who do those 26-mile hikes with backpacks, if they do two and a half hours with the packs, they are exhausted.

"Now imagine raising the temperature on stage because of the fire and the lights and the firewalls and that stuff - you are shattered and dehydrated. No one works as hard as we do - that is a statement of fact.

"You have to do very corny things like eat right and get plenty of sleep. It is looking after yourself, you must. If you are an athlete, if you go to the gym and do two-hour workouts four times a week, unless you are eating right and sleeping enough, you are not going to be able to do that."

Given the effort Simmons and fellow founder member Paul Stanley have put into their shows for the past 37 years, he feels he has every right to criticise those whose stage performances are not quite so spectacular.

And with few exceptions, he insists most acts deserve a lashing from that infamous tongue of his.

He said: "Every once in a while you get a Lady Gaga who spits in the face of pop culture and says, 'I am going to do it my way.'

"That's the Kiss spirit - she has it. Gaga called me and told me how she has Kiss parties where they dress up as us and do that stuff. Well, she always dresses up.

"The point of this is the stage is holy ground, it is electric church. Don't insult me and bring your acoustic guitar up there and sit cross-legged, light some candles and think you can charge me a $100 for a ticket.

"Give me a show, I am paying money. The state of music nowadays tends to be samey but every once in a while you get a Gaga who raises the stakes - like we did.

"When we started, there were a lot of tie-dyed hippies turning their backs to the audience or looking at their shoes, in essence telling us they were doing us a favour by being there.

"I say this from my heart, f*** you, get off the stage and let somebody who is willing to work their ass off take over. I saw James Brown when he was over 70, on stage, sweating, working his butt off, doing the physical stuff other performers couldn't do.

"The hardest-working man in showbusiness? That's right. Just like the hottest band in the world is us. We introduce ourselves with, 'You wanted the best, you got the best - the hottest band in the world'.

"Every time we get up onstage, we consider it a privilege and an honour and I will be damned if we are going to coast through doing this. If you go see McCartney, go see anyone, and you see fireworks and a show, that came from us."

While Gene pours scorn on anyone he does not deem hard-working enough, he reserves particular vitriol for rappers, not necessarily because of their music - although he's far from a fan - but because they tend to rap over the top of backing tracks rather than recreating music live.

He said: "I don't want to be at a karaoke event. I don't want the mics to be fake. I don't want you to use samples. If you want to hear a karaoke band, go to the pub. Don't insult us by singing to a backing track. When you go see rap acts, all this, 'I'm from the ghetto' and all that, it's fine.

"Tell the truth, how much is real music and how much is just you singing to a track? Have the balls to say, 75 per cent of this is fake, 25 is me going into the mic, 'I'm a gangster, whassup.'

"Tell the truth. Most of this is fake. You can do this at home, put your CD on, it's me going 'yo' on top of the track.

"It's not that I am not a rap fan. The idea and the content is great but there is too much dishonesty with live performance."

Honesty is certainly not an issue for Simmons, who is clearly excited by Guitar Hero - not least for the exposure it will bring his band and the multiple other pies his fingers are firmly wedged into.

He added: "It's a terrific way to get to new fans. The feeling of playing the game is accurate because it brings out the inner rock star in you but it goes further because of the fantasy element of the storyline which takes you into a sort of Avatar world.

"It is something very close to my heart because Kiss has always been more than guys in T-shirts strumming guitars. Visuals and fantasy are very important.

"Games like this are important for music because there are a lot of gamers who may not be aware of the wide range of rock choices they have.

"This game is all rock, not a single utterance of 'yo whassup' or any of that stuff."

But in true Simmons style, he suddenly realises that by saying the game can expose new fans to the music of Kiss, he's admitting there may be people, somewhere, who don't know who the band are. And that would never do, would it?

He said: "It's good for other bands. These kids know Kiss already. They know who we are, they know the music. By many estimates, we are the four most recognised faces on Earth.

"Do you know what the king of Sweden looks like? No. That's funny, because everyone in Sweden knows what Kiss look like."